Adolphe Eugène Jean Henri Max (30 December 1869 – 6 November 1939) was a Belgian liberal politician and mayor of the City of Brussels from 1909 until his death. He was also an irregular

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, an honorary

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

and a member of the

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Life

Max graduated in law at the Free University of Brussels, and entered the legal profession, besides doing journalistic work. When he was 25 years old, he was elected a province councillor for Brabant, and was elected a city councillor in 1903. After he had worked as a magistrate, he was appointed mayor of Brussels on 6 December 1909. Under the German occupation of Brussels during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Max refused to cooperate with the occupying forces. As a result, he was arrested and held in captivity, first at

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

, and then at Glatz (Poland) and

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the Goslar (district), district of Goslar and is located on the northwestern wikt:slope, slopes of the Harz ...

(Germany), until he escaped on 13 November 1918. Charles Lemonnier was acting mayor during his captivity. On his return to Brussels, he was greeted as a hero. In 1919, he was elected to the

Belgian Chamber of Representatives The Chamber of Representatives (; ; ) is one of the two chambers in the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Senate. It is considered to be the "lower house" of the Federal Parliament. Members and elections Article 62 o ...

, where he campaigned for universal adult suffrage, a goal not achieved until after his death.

Legacy

Among the monuments from Max's time in office as mayor of Brussels are parts of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and the Heysel/Heizel exhibition park built for the Brussels International Exposition of 1935. The Boulevard Adolphe Max/Adolphe Maxlaan, a central boulevard of the

City of Brussels The City of Brussels is the largest List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, municipality and historical City centre, centre of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the capital of the French Community of Belgium, the ...

, is named after him, as are primary and secondary schools near Square Ambiorix. There is also a Place Adolphe Max in the

9th arrondissement of Paris The 9th arrondissement of Paris (''IXe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as (; "ninth"). The arrondissement, called Opéra, is located on the right bank of th ...

which was named in his honour in January 1940, shortly after his death.

Honours

* 1910: Knight Grand cross in the Order of the Crown of Prussia. * 1918: Grand Officer in the Order of Leopold. *1932: Grand Cordon in the Order of Leopold.RD 24.11.1932 *1938: Grand Cross of the Order of the White Lion * Member of the

Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium The Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium (RASAB) is a non-governmental association that promotes and organises science and the arts in Belgium by coordinating the national and international activities of its constituent academies su ...

Notes

References

Sources

* Grojean, O., Adolphe Max, in : Le Flambeau, I, 1918, nr. 6, p. 178. * Seyl, A., Un grand citoyen : Adolphe Max, in : Revue de Bruxelles, April 1958, p. III. * Vierset, A., Adolphe Max, in : Cahiers Historiques, Série IV, 1964, nr. 33, p. 83. * Cooremans, Lucien, Adolphe Max, bourgmestre des heures tragiques et des heures glorieuses, in : De 1830 à 1958. Douze bourgmestres libéraux ont fait de Bruxelles une des plus prestigieuses capitales, s.l., s.n., s.d., s.p.

External links

*
Biography of Adolphe Max
at Belgium.be * {{DEFAULTSORT:Max, Adolphe 1869 births 1939 deaths Mayors of the City of Brussels Ministers of state of Belgium Members of the Royal Academy of Belgium Free University of Brussels (1834–1969) alumni Grand Crosses of the Order of the White Lion